On Monday Washington State Governor Jay Inslee and state Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal announced that the statewide closure of schools would be extended through the end of the school year.

Local leaders responded.

While this seemed like an inevitability, it still feels very sad and almost surreal,” Naselle Grays River Valley School District Superintendent Lisa Nelson said. “Our staff are bummed and we feel so badly for the parents and students, especially our seniors who worked and prepared for their culminating moment in graduation. We will definitely be putting our heads together to see what we can come up with to honor our seniors for all that they have accomplished. We will get through this difficult time, but it will require us to stretch our abilities and teach in new ways like never before.”

"We are focusing this week on building out the calendar and expectations around what the remainder of the year will look like,” Wahkiakum School District Superintendent Brent Freeman said. “We still intend to have some sort of graduation and will figure that out in weeks to come. We will certainly continue holding classes remotely as we have for the past several weeks and we will certainly continue reaching out to all of our students. We will also continue our food service, making sure that any and every child has access to food through these tough times."